"The Vikings sailed across the Atlantic; they didn't row." That's the hill Emil Anners Lappen has chosen to die on, and honestly, it's a pretty solid hill.
While Norway fans at the World Cup have been throwing themselves into the "Viking row" celebration — mimicking the oar-pulling motion whenever Norway does something on the pitch — Lappen has been standing arms-crossed, unamused, and historically correct enough to make everyone else feel slightly awkward about it.
The song made it worse
The celebration itself might have survived scrutiny as pure vibes. Then came the song.
"In a song that they released together with the rowing, they said 'We're gonna row across the Atlantic,'" Lappen told Sky News. "That's why I've been so annoyed about it." Once the lyrics committed to the bit, the history teacher in him couldn't let it go.
He's not entirely wrong, either. Viking longboats were absolutely equipped with oars, and crews used them — up rivers, in calm waters, during sea battles when wind and current weren't cooperating. But crossing the Atlantic? That was sail work. Leif Erikson didn't muscle his way to Newfoundland with biceps alone.
When pushed on whether he was missing the point — that it's a fan celebration, not a maritime history seminar — Lappen didn't flinch. "I found it stupid and I wanted to show that I didn't appreciate it, and I think I got the message across."
Fair enough. Most fans chant things that don't hold up to scrutiny. Lappen just happens to care enough to make it his thing. Every World Cup produces a story like this — one person, one stubborn take, zero interest in going along with the crowd. Usually it's about a referee. This time it's about 9th-century Scandinavian naval propulsion.
Norway's odds of winning the World Cup haven't changed. But their fan section just got a lot more interesting.
